Beware the Air

Summary: When a threat to national security is made, the Eppes' brothers are enlisted to help find the culprits before it is too late.

Disclaimer: NUMB3RS is the creation of Cheryl Heuton and Nicolas Falacci and I have no legal rights to the characters and their backgrounds.

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Don headed over to the math department, silently going over the information relayed to him by Colby and David. He found Charlie in his office, sitting at his desk. Don looked over at the boards filled with his brother's distinctive scrawl. He recognized a few Greek letters here and there but the rest just looked like squiggles and dashes, inter-dispersed with letters and numbers.

"Charlie, how's it going?"

Charlie looked up at the sound of his brother's voice. His face was filled with such dejection that Don's heart went out to him.

"We'll find her, Buddy."

"It's not just her I'm worried about, Don. It's all those other people, those nameless faces that could be…" Charlie shook his head, unable to continue. "I've been going over the stuff that she had saved, compared it to the things that we worked on before. There are just too many variables to deal with; the sheer volume is overwhelming. I just don't think that I can find anything useful in the short amount of time we have."

"Maybe I can help you. One of the security guards working at Emily's hotel room is missing and his keycard was used in and around the time she was abducted. We don't know if he's involved or if his card was just taken. Colby and David are going to try and find him and do some digging. His name is Sanjar Mihdizadih and he's an Iranian immigrant. If he is involved, we suspect that he might have connections with a terrorist organization coming out from there."

At Don's news, Charlie jumped up and headed over to the boards and began to erase what he had written. Picking up a piece of chalk, he started to write out new equations to incorporate the newly acquired information.

"I talked to Larry, about the lunch we had with Emily a few days ago. He said that he didn't notice anyone or anything unusual. But, you know…"

"What, Charlie?"

"I… I'm still getting that feeling that someone is watching me. I know it might seem like I'm paranoid, but with everything that's happened to Emily…"

"It's not paranoia if it's real, Charlie. Have you seen anyone around or anything peculiar?"

"No, it's just that feeling. Maybe it's…"

Don cut Charlie off with a grunt as he picked up his cell phone and contacted his office. His mind churning, Don considered the possibility that someone had figured out Charlie's connection with Emily, both personal and professional. If someone had found out that Charlie had access to Emily's research data and could decode it, then he would definitely be a target.

As the phone began to ring in his ear he told Charlie, "I'm going to ask one of the agents to stay with you. It's just a precaution but I'd feel better knowing that there was one of my people with you at all times."

As Don stepped away to get better reception to talk to someone at his office, Charlie wanted to argue that it was unnecessary to have an agent watch over him, but was secretly relieved that Don was making the arrangements. He could not ignore the feeling of being observed and it was distracting him. He did not have time to be distracted by anything while Emily was still being held captive and the danger of a biological attack loomed.

"It's all set. An agent will be here in half an hour. I've got to go meet Megan. We're heading back to see if we can't find out more information about Sanjar, if he's involved and if he is, who his associates are."

Charlie just nodded as he continued to write on the board.

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Charlie stood at the board for hours, working and re-working the equations. He didn't notice when the agent arrived or how a sandwich and drink appeared on his desk. Absently, he grabbed at the drink and gulped it down.

With the new information that Don had given him, and the implications that it might have, he was able to narrow down the number of variables but it still didn't come together. Even with the reduced number of factors to look at, he could not fit them into a proper working algorithm. Without an organization claiming responsibility, it was difficult for him to come up with a point of origin or a likely location where she would be held. He had contacted the NSA group working in conjunction with him with his new findings, but they too were at a loss as how to narrow the focus even more.

Rubbing his eyes and looking at the board, he could not stop the fear from clawing at his throat. They were running out of time. Frustrated, he turned and hurled the piece of chalk in his hand against the wall where it shattered.

The noise alerted the agent who had been standing guard at the door of Charlie's office, and his friend, Larry who had been talking with him. They both rushed into the room. The agent, surmising that nothing was amiss, returned to his post. Larry approached his friend cautiously.

"Charles? Are you alright?" Seeing the look of despair on his young colleague's face, Larry deduced that there was no news about Emily.

Tapping his finger tips together in front of him, he hesitantly said, "I am assuming that there are things that you and Emily worked on together, and that she has worked on alone, that you cannot talk about. Most of which are likely related to why she was abducted."

Charlie sighed, not knowing how to respond to the statement.

"No need to say anything Charles. The answer is so plainly written on your face. Perhaps you need to take a moment and step back from this. You are obviously frustrated and judging by the number of parameters you have written on the board, I'd say that there's too much data to work with. Take a break for a moment. Maybe it will give you the much needed respite you require in order to figure out how to eliminate some of the variables or possibly reword the problem."

Angry and desperate, Charlie cried out, "I can't just take a break, Larry. People have taken her and are doing who knows what to her. The people… the people suspected of taking her are not known for their niceties. They'll kill her if she doesn't give them what they want. I have to keep going… we have to find her." He couldn't bring himself to say before it's too late.

His tirade over, Charlie turned back towards the board and started to write again.

"Oh, dear," came the reply from the soft-spoken professor. Looking at his friend feverishly writing numbers on the board, he was filled with dread.

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Someone was prodding her. In her stupor, Emily could feel someone nudging her, non-too-gently, in the ribs. She slowly regained consciousness. Her face throbbed where the assailant had punched her earlier, and her ribs felt bruised. She tried to flex her hands but they were numb, the circulation minimized because of the ropes that bound her.

Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw a large person looming above her. She tried to make out the face of the person before her but it was shrouded in a large white suit, with a face shield that caused the light to glint off of it, making it impossible for her to see their face. Emily recognized what the outfit was right away; it was an anti-contamination suit used when dealing with a deadly biological agent.

Her heart started to pound heavily as she tried to shift away from the figure.

"So, you are finally awake. Now, Emily, pay attention. Do you recognize this?"

He held up a vial in his hand filled with an indistinguishable dark powder. Emily didn't know what it was for sure, but every instinct told her that it was most likely anthrax spores. She nodded mutely but refused to say anything else.

"I want you to tell me all about that new vaccine that you have been working on. Do not try to deny it. I have my sources. I have also been informed that you are very close to perfecting it. Just share your findings with me and I will refrain from opening up this vial and releasing the spores." Her gazed was fixed on the vial and what would happen if he opened it up in this small, closed room.

Steeling her nerves, she retorted, "Why do you want it?"

"Tut, tut, tut. Do you really think I am going to dignify your inquiry with a response?" He paused, as if expecting her to answer. "I am going to leave the vial, out of your reach of course. It will give you time to think about what you want to do. Think hard, Emily." With his final words echoing in the room, he carefully placed the vial by the doorway and walked out.

When he closed the door, Emily was enveloped once again in darkness. Fear pumped through her veins. What was she going to do? She thought desperately of the various options she had. Trying to calm her racing mind, she thought about the potential outcomes of each scenario and concluded that nothing good could come if she gave the people who took her any information. Even if she gave them what they wanted, the probability that they would let her live was negligible and the damage inflicted using the knowledge she had was astronomical.

She tried to stave off the feeling of impending doom and hopelessness that had settled in her chest. Her best option was to remain silent and hope that someone had noticed she was missing and was looking for her. She did not know how long she had been imprisoned as there were no windows and they had taken all of her personal belongings, including her watch. As far as could estimate, she had been taken at least two days ago. She would have been in Georgia by now, but nobody would have known as she hadn't asked anyone to meet her at the airport and she wasn't expected back at the CDC until Thursday.

She thought of her parents who, after over thirty years of marriage, had finally decided to go on a second honeymoon. They were on a month-long get-away in the Bahamas and probably wouldn't call to check up on her. They didn't even know she was in California; she didn't have a chance to tell them before they left. Her only hope was that someone at the hotel would notice that she hadn't checked-out as scheduled and looked into her suite. She was sure that there would be signs of a struggle, possibly even some blood, and that would definitely raise suspicion. Of course, there was also the possibility that they would assume she was just staying longer and continue to charge for the room.

Her only other chance was that Charlie had noticed that she hadn't gone to the faculty dinner and called to check on her. She didn't think that was very likely, but it was her only other hope. Closing her eyes shut, she sent a desperate mental plea for someone to find her, and quickly.

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Don and Megan were back at the FBI to find out if any progress had been made on Sanjar's whereabouts. As they headed into their unit, they were stopped by Lieutenant Pike, accompanied by an older couple.

"Agent Eppes, let me introduce you to Doug and Sheila Winters, Emily's parents. They have been on vacation and have only just arrived. They were adamant about meeting you and your team and to ask about the progress on their daughter's missing person investigation."

Don took in the couple's appearance. He could see the exhaustion and fear on their faces and noticed that Sheila Winters sagged into her husband and how Doug Winters had his arm firmly around her, as if he were the only thing holding her up from falling to her knees. A feeling of sympathy filled Don as he nodded, putting out his hand.

Doug grasped it with his free one and squeezed tightly. "Have you heard any word about out daughter?"

Lieutenant Pike interjected. "I've told the Winters that you knew Emily and that your brother was the one who had discovered her missing. They were not aware that Emily was in California, participating in a series of lectures." Don caught the subtle hint that the Winters did not have any idea about Emily's research or the possible reason behind her abduction.

"I'd like to introduce you to Megan Reeves, another agent on my team." Megan shook both of their hands. "Megan, why don't you go and prepare the conference room before I bring in the Winters to update them on our progress? If you can find David and Colby, ask them in, too, so that they can introduce themselves." He shot Megan a look, silently communicating to her to get rid of all of the details on the boards in their conference room. Megan nodded in understanding and left.

"Mr. and Mrs. Winters, let me assure you that we are doing everything we can to find your daughter. So far, we have several leads that we are following up. I had the pleasure of meeting your daughter a few days before she went missing. My brother Charlie had a barbecue at our place and she was there. She's a wonderful person. You must be very proud of her." Don stalled for time as he slowly lead them in the direction of where Megan had gone.

"Yes, we are. She's been such a wonderful light in our lives." Mr. Winters said, sadness tingeing his voice.

"Did you say your brother's name was Charlie?" Mrs. Winters asked.

They were at the door of the conference room and Don looked in hesitantly and saw that all of the documents that described Emily's abduction and any mention of anthrax or biological terrorism were nowhere in sight. The boards had also been erased. He nodded to the other agents in the room.

He lead the couple into the conference, introduced them to the other agents and asked them to sit.

"Yes, my brother is Charlie Eppes. He and Emily met a few years ago and have been in contact off and on throughout the years. As Pike mentioned, he was the one that discovered Emily was missing. He's asked me to be a part of the investigation because he was understandably worried about her and wanted to make sure that everything was being done to find her. He trusted me to do that." Hopefully his story sounded plausible and they did not question why the FBI was involved.

"That's very kind of you, Agent Eppes. My daughter has spoken highly of Charlie. She's admired his work for quite a while." Mrs. Winters said, as she stared at her hands, not meeting Don's gaze.

Patting his wife's clasped hands, Mr. Winters turned to Don and his team, "What can you tell me about Emily's disappearance?"

Don and his team walked them through what had happened, leaving gaps about her research involvement and the potential ties that her abduction had to terrorist attacks. In the middle of their recitation, a figure appeared at the door. Don looked up and motioned for Charlie to enter.

"I still don't understand. Do you think she was taken? She's such a good girl, she never hurt anybody." Mrs. Winters had silently begun to cry during the brief description.

Suddenly, Charlie was beside her, kneeling, his face level with hers. "Don and his team are the best there is, and they're doing everything they can. We will find her, I promise." Tears had started to form in Charlie's eyes as he looked at the woman with the same soft features as her daughter.

"You must be the Charlie my Emily talks about. You look just like the picture she has of you two." Mrs. Winters had reached out to cup Charlie's face in her hand. "You'll find my daughter for me."

"I'll do my best. We are doing our best." He reached up to cradle her hand with his. "Your daughter is a very special woman, Mrs. Winters. We'll find her and she'll be just fine."

Mrs. Winters nodded, closed her eyes and took comfort from the young man who obviously cared about her little girl.

"Thank you, for everything you've done so far," came the gruff response from Mr. Winters who looked at the FBI team as tears streamed down his face.

"We'd like to put up a reward of some kind, for any information about our daughter. It won't be much but we want to offer something. Maybe it will give people incentive to speak up."

Charlie looked up from his position. "Whatever they put in, I'll double it," he said without hesitation.

Don nodded and could not help but marvel at his brother's generosity. He walked over to the Winters and directed them to their financial division who would help them with the paperwork needed to post a reward for information. Charlie offered to accompany them.

The trio left, with the promise from Don that he would contact them when they uncovered any new information.

Don and his team watched them walk out, shoulders slumped and their despair surrounding them like a cloak. Taking in the scene, the FBI agents felt a new resolve settle inside of them, strengthening their determination to find Emily and to ease the pain of the people walking away from them.

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A/N: Another chapter completed! There is not much progress with respect to solving Emily's abduction, but I felt that a little bit of angst was needed to counter-balance all of the technical stuff that I have been writing for the last few chapters. I hope you enjoyed it and as always, comments, suggestions and reviews are welcome. Thanks!